The Shoegaze We Breathe

Empty Flowers have decided to get some of their tunes from their last two albums, Five and Six, remixed by some of the biggest metal producers, and the results were pretty interesting. Empty Flowers are a four-piece hard rock/metal band hailing from the east coast that play pretty good rock and roll. This remix record takes those songs and turns them on their heads, creating a post-rock/shoegaze take on Empty Flowers’ brand of metal.

The first song on the record, “Quit,” remixed by James Plotkin from Khanate, creates an early Nine Inch Nails vibe. Distorted drums take over the song, with loud guitars in the background and vocals layered with effects and re-edited. It’s a solid remix. But Will Brooks from Dalek really shines on this album. His remix of “I Get to Know Its Name” is a great mixture of both the original riff and his new re-imagining of it. The song now has a sort of early industrial feel, with a bit of an early goth influence as well.

Justin Broadrick, well-known for his fantastic remixes of bands such as La Fin Absolute du Monde and Isis, as well as his own work in Jesu, puts a shoegazey drone to the song “Car Fires,” complete with organ keyboard tones and electronic elements, turning a song that was already a dark ballad into a brooding, electronic-based anthem. And Jeff Caxide from Isis and Palms lends his remixing abilities to “Ice on Wings.” He too adds distorted drums, electronic beats, and keys to a bed of loud guitars. His take turns this dynamic metal tune around and makes it more of an electronic dance number.

If you’re a fan of Empty Flowers, this remix record would be worth a spin or two. The remixes are interesting and the new takes on the songs are refreshing. The promise lies in what these producers will do in the future. For now, you’ll just have to enjoy the beginnings of their fantastic careers and imagine what’s yet to come.